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November 28, 2011

Love them or hate them, food trucks in SF are here to stay. And the latest addition to the Noe food scene is a food truck that features... cookies:

Cookie Time is a cookie truck operating out of San Francisco's Noe Valley. We use organic, mostly local ingredients to deliver the most deliciously nutritious goodies! CookieTime also firmly believes in zero waste, which is why all of our serving dishes & utensils are compostable.

Permitted and ready to...er...roll, Cookie Time opened Friday in the Noe Valley Ministry Farmer's Market. One positive review on Yelp, and one negative response from Martha & Bros. The Farmer's Market is already tight on space and turning away vendors; no idea if this fits in with their plans.

Whether you're a cookie fan or not, how do you feel about food trucks setting up near "brick-and-mortar" restaurants now that the long-runningbattle has made it to Noe Valley?

A weekly look at Noe Valley projects in front of the Planning Commission. Information is provided by the Planning Commission, and taken from its published agenda. All hearings are on Thursday at 1:30pm, Room 400 in City Hall.

4366 26TH STREET - north side between Diamond and Douglass Streets; Lot 016B in Assessor’s Block 6556 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2011.02.23.0805, proposing to construct a horizontal rear extension at the first floor level and add a new basement level at the rear (below the proposed first floor extension) to an existing two-story, single family building within the RH-1 (Residential, House, One-Family) Zoning District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Staff Analysis: Abbreviated Discretionary Review

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

In brief:

The DR requestor has owned the home next door for 50 years and is concerned about light and privacy. It also appears that the DR requestor has existing non-conforming stairs, bedroom and some sort of shed that occupy the same rough footprint of the requested addition.

The applicants moved into their home in 2010 with one child and are expecting twins. They appear to have made considerable effort to minimize expansion and disruption in order to "get to know San Francisco and Noe Valley" in the years ahead.

The full staff analysis contains the requestor's application, the applicant's response, plans, renderings and more.

November 26, 2011

A note from Alvarado Elementary parent and toy drive organizer September Rose-Owens:

Last year I did a toy drive and it was very successful with all of the children receiving a gift from Santa. This year I am blessing a lot of families again. I am a Parent of Alvarado Elementary. The toy drive is for a community based school located in the Bay View district. Each child ranging from ages 2 months to 5 years has created "Dear Santa" letters with two wishes. If you are interested in sponsoring a child for the holidays, please contact September Rose-Owens ASAP [subject line: becoming a Dear Santa]. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you!

Click the image for a summary and photos from last year's event.

Update (12/1):

Dear Noe Valley,

Thanks so much for the help in getting the sponsors for the toy drive. All children have been sponsored for the toy drive. My next step is I have 16 days to get everything organized and make sure all presents are delivered. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas.

"These are tough times for neighborhood hardware stores, so many are being driven out of business by the big box giants. But a tiny San Francisco store is bucking that trend: Tuggy's [sic] Hardware, which opened in 1898, is still going strong."

Some quotes from current owner, Denny Giovanelli, who has worked there since he was 12:

"The floorboards creek [sic]. That's a good thing."

"When I was younger, I just asked myself what it takes to keep a house going, and that's what you stock."

November 21, 2011

Now that the scaffolding is down, here are a few more details via Eileen Bermingham about The Lux apartments at 1596 Church St. From the blueprints(PDF):

13-car parking (including five with a "rotating parking lift") and a Church Street facing commercial space at street level. However, the 1527 sq/ft commercial space is specified as "office use only." Maybe a title company/bank/dentist will set up shop, but don't hope for a cool cafe/bar/gym.

The second floor has three 2BD/2BA units and a outdoor courtyard (with "outdoor kitchen").

The third/fourth floors have three two-level units that are 3BD/3BA with internal staircases.

The information provided to us last November from agent Keely Ferguson says they'll be "high-end modern homes." Per Eileen, the 2nd floor units are priced at about $900k, the upper units are $1.3M-$1.6M. Expect an official opening in January 2012.

Steven Restivo Event Services and the NVMPA are bringing another cookie-cutter event to Noe Valley on December 7th (here's a list of similar events [PDF]): the Noe Valley Holiday Wine Walk. What is it, you ask? Basically, SRES convinces wineries (four, so far) to donate wine and time, and merchants to pay $50-$275 [PDF] for said wineries to set up shop in the store/restaurant and for inclusion in advertising. Merchants are also encouraged to provide food. Wineries get exposure and merchants get foot traffic.

What's your role? Drink and (hopefully) shop. You can purchase tickets in advance through Eventbrite for $30, or just head straight to Groupon and pay just $15. Careful, though, because even though it says "Bring this Groupon to an applicable ticket booth to receive a wristband, wine glass, and map," at least one person was upset by the unannounced $5 extra charge for the glass in the first annual (non-holiday) Noe Valley Wine Walk earlier this year. Same day tickets will be $30 and available on site.

November 18, 2011

Cozy, Euro style, corner, 22 years established in great location for upscale restaurants! Prime Location for your business. Serves American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner. Ready for any Menu. Good Lease could be negotiated. Seat 30+15(outside) Open 7 days/week.

Necia (Nicky) Salan Mar. 27, 1934 - Oct. 10, 2011 Beloved San Francisco bookseller Nicky Salan died peacefully at home after a long illness. The bookstore she founded, Cover to Cover, a San Francisco institution, grew out of her love for children's literature and the small, Saturday sales of children's books from her long-time home on Edgewood Avenue in Parnassus Heights. Even before the bookstore opened, initially on Clement Street and later on 24th Street in Noe Valley, Nicky was known as the Book Fair Lady, providing books to hundreds of school fund-raising events and befriending many elementary school teachers. She soon became a nationally recognized expert on literature for children and youth. She was proud to count among her closest friends many of her devoted staff as well as publishers' book representatives. When Nicky retired in 1999, the Noe Valley store passed into employee hands. Born in Baltimore and raised there and in Ellicott City, Maryland, a graduate of Barnard College, Class of 1955, Nicky is survived by her daughter, Debra (and Ken Maki), son Fred (and Toni Barba-Salan) and adored grandsons Aram Hava Salan, Daniel Fine Salan and Marco Barba Salan. Nicky moved to San Francisco in 1958 with her former husband, Martin Salan, who predeceased her, working initially as a social worker at the Jewish Community Center on California Street. A lifelong Giants fan (her move and theirs in 1958 was merely a coincidence) and long-time season ticket holder, Nicky lived to see her team bring home a World Series trophy. She was a superb and inventive cook, a gracious hostess, and a most generous friend. The family would like to thank and acknowledge Nicky's devoted caregivers, Fay Gustilo and Juanita Russo and the wonderful hospice staff. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 12, at 10:00 a.m. at Sinai Memorial Chapel, 1501 Divisadero St., SF, followed by burial at Home of Peace Cemetery in Colma. In lieu of flowers, contributions are welcome to Grattan School: Nicky Salan Library Fund, 165 Grattan Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 or the charity of your choice.

November 8, 2011

There's a new spa opening on outer Church St. in Noe Valley next Monday, and it's not a nail salon. The K9 Scrub Club, first announced in July, is a locally-owned upscale dog spa.

From the press release (emphasis ours):

The dog wash is designed to make washing your dog a fun process without the chore of cleaning up. There are five tubs to reduce wait time and each is designed to make the process easier on both dogs and their human companions. K9 Scrub Club team members will provide a blueberry or plum face scrub on the house, which helps to relax dogs with aroma therapy and will leave their face smelling great! They have a strong selection of shampoos to help everything from itchy skin to smelly dogs. All of their shampoos are made from natural sources and are good for your dog.

During the month of November, the Scrub Club is offering free basic washes. You can read the full release here.

November 5, 2011

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

November 2011

Front Page: Local couple authors a kids book called Ben Not a Puppy; Omnivore Books at 3885 Cesar Chavez at Church turns 3, and is bigger and better than ever - owner Celia Sack also now has her own book (The Omnivore's Recipe Keeper) and divulges her favorite new cookbook picks; the Noe Valley Farmer's Market has released a CD of bands who play at the market as a fundraiser for the Noe Valley Town Square - available at the market, on iTunes, and at Phoenix Books and Common Scents or at nvfmmusic.org; and a profile of the artist behind the most excellent and creative Eye Q Optometry window displays at 4017 24th Street.

Letters: An apology from Whole Foods to a reader who didn't get a good answer from customer service about how blueberries are measured in volume and not weight; a clarification from SFVacationHut on the rules and regulations governing vacation rentals in Noe; and a request from Steven Short of KALW to contact him if you know someone with a "now rare Mission/Noe Valley accent."

Rumors: Walgreens is applying for a ABC license and after Jan. 1 will be adding refrigerators and fresh fruit and sandwiches to it's food offering [Ed note: no record of the ABC license application is available online]; Fattoush is for sale - asking price is $250,000; mortgage company Opes Advisors is moving into the spot vacated by Joseph Andrade Floral; Vivon is moving to Pinole - and 3961A 24th St will become the Children's Playhouse at Noe Valley for little ones from birth to age 4; another wine walk is coming to Noe for the "HoliDAYS on 24th Street" on Wed Dec. 7 from 4-8p.m. (more details and ticket info here); and local historian Bill Yenne will be talking about Noe Valley history on Nov. 29 at 7p.m. at St. Philip's Church ($5 at the door).